John-Koby M.

Associate Head Coach/Pitching Coach- Pine Manor College- Current
Head Coach: Rawlings Stars/Beach Collegiate Baseball League- Summer 2018
Pitching Coach- Pine Manor College- Fall 2017-Summer 2018
Head Coach- American Legion Post 228 Junior Legion Baseball Team- Summer 2017
Head Coach- OPS Inc. Junior Baysox 10U Blue- Spring 2017
Head Coach: Lafayette Park Junior Twilight Baseball League Aces- Summer 2016
Assistant Coach: Lafayette Park Junior Twilight Baseball League Aces- Summer 2015
Assistant Coach: Strike Zone (Zone Select 15u)- Summer 2015
Assistant Coach: Somerset Baseball League A’s- Summer 2016
Assistant Coach: Hathaway Post 228 American Legion Junior Team- Summer 2016
Head Coach: American Legion Post 464 Junior Legion Baseball Team- Summer 2014

High School: Four year varsity P/1B at Bishop Connolly High School. 21 career varsity pitching wins. 3 time Herald News and Mayflower League All-Star. Mayflower League MVP in 2012.
College: Four year pitcher at Lesley University. Substantial experience as starter and reliever. All-time leader in appearances. 2016 Captain. 2x NECC Academic All-Conference. Played in the Beach Collegiate Baseball League in South Carolina during the summer of 2015.

Pitching has three components. These components will be the chief focus of all of my lessons.
1. Mechanics: Proper mechanics are key to success. I believe in building proper mechanics by isolating various motions. This is by focusing on a single movement at one time. For example, when practicing a proper leg lift and descent, the student will not complete the follow through until the lift and descent have been properly practiced for a sufficient amount of time. Overloading a student with mechanical adjustments can lead to an overload of information, causing the athlete to struggle with the proper execution of singular movements.
2. Mentality: A good pitcher has a plan and an attitude that allows that plan to be accomplished. There are many ways to develop mentality. Discussions are a great way to impart knowledge on a student while also building a repertoire between the student and instructor. Practicing various situations is also largely beneficial. Having the student pitch a simulated inning in a late game or blowout situation can help prepare for what they will face on the mound. Pretending that the hitters being pitched to during these situations have different tendencies is a great way to develop game planning. For example, the instructor may tell the pitcher that the batter chases high pitches, or that they struggle with breaking balls. These situations can be simple or complex.
3. Controlling the Running Game: This is the hardest thing for pitchers to do. Although this is less pertinent in Little League, it is still a great skill to practice, and is essential once runners are allowed to take leads. All pitchers will be shown how to execute pickoff moves. I am a lefty pitcher and my pickoff is one of my most effective tools. Pitchers will be shown how to hold runners on by using pickoffs, stepoffs, varying the number of looks a runner is given, and varying the amount of time the ball is held before it is delivered. In addition, students will learn to slide step, and jab step.